Document Stand
At one of my former jobs, my desk had a simple metal document stand on it that I loved and wished later that I had stolen when I left. Alas, I didn’t. When I started learning to make things out of metal, I figured I’d just create my own. As I tried to sketch the stand, I realized I couldn’t remember exactly what it looked like. So, I just made one up. I like the simple, utilitarian design.
They can be used as document stands, display stands, photo frames, etc. The large version is 9 x 11 ½ inches and the small one is 7 ½ x 9 ½ inches. Some have the paper tray at the bottom, other simply have magnets.
My friend Adele uses hers to display her grandmother’s handwritten baked-bean recipe, which was one of her family’s favorite dishes when her grandmother was living. Mine is on my desk just left of my laptop. I use it all the time to prop up notes for my writing projects. Sometimes it serves as a phone-holder for Zoom meetings.
Photo by Adele Hungerford
THE PROCESS
The stands are cut from 14-gage sheet metal (5/64 inch thick) but can be made from thinner or thicker metal. That’s just the size I had on hand in my shop.
The big ones are 9 x 15 ½ (before being bent) and the small ones are 7 ½ x 13 (before being bent). They can be made in any size, however.
I used a plasma torch to cut them out, and a bench grinder to round the corners and clean up the sharp edges (I didn’t yet have my belt grinder). I cut slits at the bend with the plasma torch, then used a sheet metal brake to bend the stands. The slits were to help the sheet metal bend more easily.
Next, I used a bandsaw to cut 4 ½- or 6-inch pieces of angle iron (½ x ½ inch) as the paper tray, which I welded to some of the document stands.
I finished up the stands by rubbing on a coat of Johnson Paste Wax. It darkened the stands just a little, but you can still see the rust and other “flaws” that give it character. The wax gives the metal a nice finish and prevents the rust from getting on your hands, clothes and desk.
-Melanie Patterson
© Forged in Words 2021
